(Fred) Thompson Uses Loophole to Avoid Reporting Fundraising

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., has avoided revealing his fundraising figures by exploiting a legal loophole whereby he says he is simply "testing the waters" for a campaign  even as his supporters build an infrastructure for his all-but-official run.

But supporters of campaign finance reform, as well as Thompson's opponents, say that he is violating at least the spirit of the law, despite his past support for openness in government and the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law.

With the help of a former FEC chairman on Thompson's payroll, the ex-Tennessee senator is evading, at least for now, the requirements of the campaign finance system that he helped reform. In the words of an attorney associated with another campaign, Thompson is "playing footsie" with the campaign rules.

Federal election law allows prospective clients to raise limited funds to test the waters and determine whether they will be viable candidates without declaring their candidacy or being required to disclose their contributors and expenditures.

However, the statute provides that a candidate is no longer "testing the waters" if he raises funds in excess of amounts reasonably required for exploratory activity, or amasses funds to be used after candidacy is established.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3379643&page=1

[zabet]

1. Well, old deady freddy will for sure get the repug nomination now...

he is using Bushco's play book as a campaign manual.
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[PDittie]

2. Frederick of Hollywood

Thompson went to Frederick's of Hollywood to buy his first wife the most sheer lingerie he can find. The woman behind the counter goes and gets an outfit.

"This is $200," she says.

"I want one that's more sheer," says he.

"This one is $350."

"I want it even more sheer than that."

"This one is the most sheer that we have. It's $500."

"I'll take it!"

Thompson goes home to his wife and shows it to her, saying, "Go put this on and come down to model it for me."

His wife goes upstairs, opens the box and thinks, "This thing is so see-through that the old coot won't even notice if I'm wearing it or not. I can take it back for a refund and he'll never know the difference."

So Thompson's wife comes out wearing nothing at all and strikes a pose at the top of the stairs. "So, how do you like it?" she asks.

"Shit, you'd think for $500 they'd iron the damn thing."

[TwilightGardener]

3. Everything about DumbAsHell is crooked--everything. He's skirting

the very campaign finance reforms he helped write with McCain and Feingold. There is absolutely NOTHING good to this man. I hope he's the nominee--Rudy, for all his faults, won't be nearly as easy to bring down as the Nixon Stooge.

[BELZABUBBA]

4. what a surprise another cheatin republibot

[TwilightGardener]

5. Yup--It's almost comforting, in a way. If they put up an honest, decent

man, my whole world would go topsy-turvy. And welcome to DU!